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Genetic structure of peripheral, island-like populations: a case study of Saponaria bellidifolia Sm. (Caryophyllaceae) from the Southeastern Carpathians

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Abstract

Geographically peripheral populations often experience a reduction of genetic diversity and divergence from the core populations. Habitat geometry and quality can induce a local genetic diversity pattern, which overlies the regional variability issued from the range-wide phylogeography. We evaluated the genetic variation and genetic divergence of Saponaria bellidifolia Sm. on limestone outcrops within peripheral island-like populations from the Southeastern Carpathians, using RAPD markers. We also determined the degree of isolation related to other European populations, using AFLP. The Romanian populations had a decreased overall genetic diversity shared among populations, with lower level in small populations. Potential habitat size had a positive effect on genetic diversity estimates. Fisher’s exact tests of genetic differentiation revealed significant divergences only between the geographically most distant populations. Romanian populations were genetically pauperised as compared to Bulgarian and Italian populations and our results suggest that they might have originated from a recent range expansion from southern glacial refugia.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the team of the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding from Corvinus University of Budapest, especially Bacskainé Papp Anna, as well as to Lányi Szabolcs from Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania and Somogyi Gabriella from the Department of Botany, Corvinus University of Budapest for their help with laboratory works. We express our gratitude to the anonymous reviewers, whose comments have considerably improved the manuscript. Plant material was kindly provided by Gérard Largier, Jocelyne Cambecèdes and Delphine Fallour (France), Marija Edita-Šolić (Croatia), Fabio Conti (Italy) and Vladimir Vladimirov (Bulgaria). Research was part of Csergő Anna-Maria’s Ph.D. thesis and was partially supported by Domus Hungarica Scientiarum et Artium, Hungary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Sighişoarei 1C, Op. 9. Cp. 4, 540485, Târgu-Mureş, Romania

    Anna-Mária Csergö

  2. Department of Biogeography and Botanical Garden, Faculty Centre Botany, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria

    Peter Schönswetter

  3. Faculty of Technical and Social Sciences, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Libertăţii 1, 530104, Miercurea-Ciuc, Romania

    Gyöngyvér Mara

  4. Department of Plant Genetics, Faculty of Horticulture, Corvinus University, Ménesi 44, 1118, Budapest, Hungary

    Tamás Deák

  5. Department of Cluj-Napoca, Institute of Biology of the Romanian Academy of Science, Republicii 9, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Nicolae Boşcaiu

  6. Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture, Corvinus University, Ménesi 44, 1118, Budapest, Hungary

    Mária Höhn

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  1. Anna-Mária Csergö
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  2. Peter Schönswetter
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  3. Gyöngyvér Mara
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  4. Tamás Deák
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  5. Nicolae Boşcaiu
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  6. Mária Höhn
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Correspondence to Anna-Mária Csergö.

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N. Boşcaiu is deceased.

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Csergö, AM., Schönswetter, P., Mara, G. et al. Genetic structure of peripheral, island-like populations: a case study of Saponaria bellidifolia Sm. (Caryophyllaceae) from the Southeastern Carpathians. Plant Syst Evol 278, 33–41 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-008-0129-5

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